Trevor Noah, the 31-year-old South African comedian picked on Tuesday to replace Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show TV comedy program, is already under fire.

Twitter posts in his name that refer disparagingly to Jews and women have been reposted on social media over the past two days, with many calling on Noah, who is virtually unknown in America, to apologize. The posts date back to 2009.

In May last year he wrote: "Behind every successful Rap Billionaire is a double as rich Jewish man. #BeatsByDreidel."

A couple of months before that, he wrote: "Messi gets the ball and the real players try foul him, but Messi doesn't go down easy, just like jewish chicks. #ElClasico."

Other of Noah's statements include: "South Africans know how to recycle like Israel knows how to be peaceful," and "Almost bumped a Jewish kid crossing the road. He didn't look b4 crossing the road, but I still would hav felt so bad in my german car."

He is also reported to have explained that "Jewboy" and "untermensch" are not racist statements because "one simply means Jew and the other means a short person."

Posts regarded as disparaging women include "Oh yeah the weekend. People are gonna get drunk & think that I'm sexy! – fat chicks everywhere," and "A hot white woman with ass is like a unicorn. Even if you do see one, you'll probably never get to ride it."

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.